Nature. 2002 Dec 12;420(6916):664-6.

Sex releases the speed limit on evolution.

Source

Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK. n.colegrave@ed.ac.uk

Abstract

Explaining the evolutionary maintenance of sex remains a key problem in evolutionary biology. One potential benefit of sex is that it may allow a more rapid adaptive response when environmental conditions change, by increasing the efficiency with which selection can fix beneficial mutations. Here I show that sex can increase the rate of adaptation in the facultatively sexual single-celled chlorophyte Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, but that the benefits of sex depend crucially on the size of the population that is adapting: sex has a marked effect in large populations but little effect in small populations. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the benefits of sex in a novel environment, including stochastic effects in small populations, clonal interference and epistasis between beneficial alleles. These results indicate that clonal interference is important in this system.

PMID:: 12478292; [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Publication Types, MeSH Terms

Publication Types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH Terms

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Other Literature Sources

Supplemental Content

Related citations

The ecology and genetics of fitness in Chlamydomonas. XII. Repeated sexual episodes increase rates of adaptation to novel environments. [Evolution. 2002]
The ecology and genetics of fitness in Chlamydomonas. XII. Repeated sexual episodes increase rates of adaptation to novel environments.
Kaltz O, Bell G. Evolution. 2002 Sep; 56(9):1743-53.
Interference among deleterious mutations favours sex and recombination in finite populations. [Nature. 2006]
Interference among deleterious mutations favours sex and recombination in finite populations.
Keightley PD, Otto SP. Nature. 2006 Sep 7; 443(7107):89-92.
Rapid evolutionary escape by large populations from local fitness peaks is likely in nature. [Evolution. 2005]
Rapid evolutionary escape by large populations from local fitness peaks is likely in nature.
Weinreich DM, Chao L. Evolution. 2005 Jun; 59(6):1175-82.
Review Limits to adaptation in asexual populations. [J Evol Biol. 2005]
Review Limits to adaptation in asexual populations.
de Visser JA, Rozen DE. J Evol Biol. 2005 Jul; 18(4):779-88.
Review Beneficial mutations and the dynamics of adaptation in asexual populations. [Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2010]
Review Beneficial mutations and the dynamics of adaptation in asexual populations.
Sniegowski PD, Gerrish PJ. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2010 Apr 27; 365(1544):1255-63.

See reviews... See all...

Cited by 27 PubMed Central articles

Review Evolution of reproductive development in the volvocine algae. [Sex Plant Reprod. 2011]
Review Evolution of reproductive development in the volvocine algae.
Hallmann A. Sex Plant Reprod. 2011 Jun; 24(2):97-112. Epub 2010 Dec 21.
Sexual plasticity and self-fertilization in the sea anemone Aiptasia diaphana. [PLoS One. 2010]
Sexual plasticity and self-fertilization in the sea anemone Aiptasia diaphana.
Schlesinger A, Kramarsky-Winter E, Rosenfeld H, Armoza-Zvoloni R, Loya Y. PLoS One. 2010 Jul 29; 5(7):e11874. Epub 2010 Jul 29.
Review Beneficial mutations and the dynamics of adaptation in asexual populations. [Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2010]
Review Beneficial mutations and the dynamics of adaptation in asexual populations.
Sniegowski PD, Gerrish PJ. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2010 Apr 27; 365(1544):1255-63.

See all...

Related information

Related Citations
Calculated set of PubMed citations closely related to the selected article(s) retrieved using a word weight algorithm. Related articles are displayed in ranked order from most to least relevant, with the “linked from” citation displayed first.
Cited in PMC
Full-text articles in the PubMed Central Database that cite the current articles.

Recent activity

Clear Turn Off Turn On

Sex releases the speed limit on evolution.
Sex releases the speed limit on evolution.
Nature. 2002 Dec 12 ;420(6916):664-6.

PubMed
Developmental roles of platelet-derived growth factors.
Developmental roles of platelet-derived growth factors.
Bioessays. 2001 Jun ;23(6):494-507.

PubMed
Involvement of platelet-derived growth factor in disease: development of specifi...
Involvement of platelet-derived growth factor in disease: development of specific antagonists.
Adv Cancer Res. 2001 ;80:1-38.

PubMed
PDGF-D is a specific, protease-activated ligand for the PDGF beta-receptor.
PDGF-D is a specific, protease-activated ligand for the PDGF beta-receptor.
Nat Cell Biol. 2001 May ;3(5):512-6.

PubMed
Phosphorylation sites in the PDGF receptor with different specificities for bind...
Phosphorylation sites in the PDGF receptor with different specificities for binding GAP and PI3 kinase in vivo.
EMBO J. 1992 Apr ;11(4):1373-82.

PubMed

Your browsing activity is empty.

Activity recording is turned off.

Turn recording back on

PubMed

Display Settings:

Send to: